Have you ever been disappointed with professional portraits or know someone who has? Chances are they didn’t do the research necessary to find the photographer that is right for them. Maybe they paid more than they would have liked. Or the location or poses weren’t quite what they had in mind. Or even worse the quality of the photos weren’t up to par.

Around February your Junior year you will start to receive postcards in the mail from area photographers. Soon after there will be kids going around school saying they are “Reps” for a certain studio in town. They’ll probably already have their photos to show off and will have flyers or even business cards with their own picture on it to pass out.

Hang on to all the stuff given to you. Keep it in a pile until you’re ready to be serious about looking at for someone to take your senior photos. This pile will probably represent the studios that do the majority of senior photos in your town. Study them. Which studios have the type of photos you are looking for? Do they give you an idea of their “out the door” prices?

But don’t stop there. There are a lot of smaller quality studios and in-home professionals who just don’t have the budget for a big mass mailing. Ask around. Find out who your friends used and ask if they were satisfied. Maybe they’ll be willing to share how much they paid and what they received for the cost. Ask if the photographer was easy going and fun to be with.

Google the name of your town and the words “photographer” or “senior portraits”.  Even the smaller studios or individuals are likely to have a website.  Check out their work and their prices.  You’ll be surprised, and maybe a bit overwhelmed, at the range of choices you have.

Once you have a list of photographers you are interested in then we can start asking the questions we need to in order to make the important decision; Which one is for me?